This past Sunday I was reading Matthew in between calls at work. I was in Matthew 13, reading the parable of the weeds:
"He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
(Matthew 13:24-30 ESV)
That phrase really stood out to me in this instance. It has burned in my mind for days. Jesus explained it as a parable for the end of the age. But I have been seeing it in another light. Now obviously the wheat represents the believer in Christ. They are growing in the field. But their life does not stay isolated for long. Questions came up to me:
1: What has the enemy done?
He infiltrated. In this stage, weeds and wheat look very similar. They grow close together. They come in where they cannot easily be eliminated without damaging the wheat. In our world, it can look like a believer in Christ, but not completely following everything that the Bible says. It can be an attack on our character. It can be an attack on our marriage. He sneaks in at night to steal, kill, and destroy. He has many weapons at his disposal, and among the toughest is the "coexistence" that wheat and weeds have together.
2: How did the Master react?
Calm assessment and eventual judgment. He didn't burn the field; He didn't panic. He stepped back, saw what happened, and declared the best solution for the problem.
God has seen your situation. He knows that you may be hurting. A loved one may be about to depart this world. One may have just walked out on you. You may be tempted to give up on everything. He has a plan for you in this, though.
3: What is the wheat to do?
Grow. That's all it is asked to do. It is not easy. Weeds have a specific purpose. They steal nutrients from the wheat that prevent it from growing like it is intended to. Some weeds choke life out of plants. Wheat needs to stand (Ephesians 6) in the sun (or Son), soak it in (get engrossed in the Word, in prayer, and with other believers), and GROW. The rest of the Master's plan (eventual judgment) will soon take place.
4: What will happen?
At the end, the weeds will be taken, bound, and thrown in the fire. Weeding can be a difficult thing for the gardener, and can be annoying. But it is rewarding for the gardener when the finished work of the garden is revealed. Jesus tells His disciples when He explains the parable that like when the wheat will be gathered into the barn "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (verse 43). Wheat, when it has grown and is ready for harvest, is a thing of beauty. Golden, amber waves...like when Job said "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold"(Job 23:10 ESV).
Long story short: God knows about the attack. He was not caught off guard. He is not unfeeling; but the situation has not given Him cause for concern. Trust His plan and grow. He will at the right time make all things right.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
I've Waited Two Years to Write This Post
On April 12, 2010, I turned 33 years old.
On April 13, 2010, I was released from my job of 10 years.
I have chronicled on here the ensuing 9 months of unemployed life. There was a lot of growing both mentally and spiritually during that time. I can look back and say it was for my good. But I haven't spoken much about what happened two years ago.
This was because of an agreement I signed that day saying that I would hold my peace for two years. Well those two years are up. Today I can now speak about it.
I was the first employee hired when Family Christian Stores opened a location in Hickory, NC in 2000. The location of that store was ideal for that type of business, and it was an answer to prayer to get that job. I owe a lot of good things in my life to working at that store. I met a lot of people that are still my friends today. I met my wife because of that store. It was a literal dream come true to work there.
In time, things changed. The company changed leadership in 2002. In 2003, longtime rumors became true when the company announced it was opening on Sunday. They found a theologian to back them in saying it was okay Biblically, and announced it to us in June. They said essentially it was a "missed opportunity for ministry," and that the focus on Sundays would always be ministry. We would be open limited hours, so it would not greatly affect our employees church attendance, etc.
They never openly admitted it, but the company lost 1/4 of its employees because of that. One store on Georgia had to replace its entire staff.
Over time Sundays became another day to sell things and make goals. Our store even opened for an extra hour, meaning someone was missing church.
Let's just say the changes started to fray some friendships. From then until my departure, working there became a personal hell. I use that word intentionally.
From 2004-06, I was demeaned by a new manager that sought to get rid of me, knew nothing about Christian Retail, and would use language that would make "Stone Cold" Steve Austin blush. She was only hired because she had management experience. The Christian part didn't matter. She was eventually fired after transferring to another store for inappropriate behavior.
I would become very familiar with corporate buzzwords. "Opportunity" was another word for failure or mistake. "Suggested" items meant mandatory items. "Goal" meant sales quotas. "Accountability" meant micromanagement to the nth degree. It became quite an exacting corporate culture.
I know add-on sales are a part of every retail store's marketing scheme. It's why there's gum & candy at grocery checkouts. It's why they have pens at the checkout at Staples. For us, your checkout meant the start of our sales pitch. First, we had to pitch Member's Only titles- A selection of items (it originally started as 1 title a month) for $5 each. We had to sell these to 1 out of every 4 customers. Next came Pre-buys: advanced selling of new books, movies, or CDs. We had to have a percentage. Next we had to sign people up for our Credit Card. Dave Ramsey didn't care for that one. We eventually got rid of that, but replaced it with child sponsorships through a global relief organization.
(Now, this is a big commitment. Deciding to spend $30 (later $35) a month on a child in Ghana or wherever is not an impulse decision. It's not something you should be pushed or pressured into. But we had to.)
It got so bad that if you didn't make your goals for these things, you were written up. Three strikes, you were out. Fired from an atmosphere of "love." It didn't matter if you knew everything about the Bible, could recommend a book, or knew everything about Christian music. If you didn't meet your goals, you were out. I saw too many people leave this company in that way. All the while we would bring in questionable movies to sell, but they were okay, because they were "family" movies, and they taught a lesson, even if it wasn't Biblical.
But I didn't get fired for that. No- My position- - which started out as a full-time position, and needed a dedicated full-time person, became part-time. I worked a few hours in my position, then worked on the sales floor. I sacrificed, worked various hours, and did what was asked of me.
That Tuesday morning, I was presented with my walking papers. No negotiation, no time to talk it over. I was done. They decided that part-time people should do my job. Makes sense financially- they can pay them less than I made, even though I hadn't had a raise in four years, and they don't have to dish out full-time insurance. I signed an agreement not to mention any selling practices or discourage anyone from going to work for Family for two years.
Yes, I was afraid. But I was relieved. Oh, I was so relieved. God used that for me in so many ways. I got to be there for the majority of my daughter's first year of life. I got to spend a great amount of time with my son. I felt a major burden lift from me. And I guess I grew up a little.
I dealt with bitterness and with a distaste for Christian retail in general for a time after that. I had to learn to forgive the people that I thought wronged me. I went back in that store once after that to say hey to old friends. Almost everyone is gone now- either fired or quit voluntarily. I will not go back in there again, or to any other Family Christian Store. There are better alternatives, companies that are actually concerned with serving the customer, not just emptying their wallets.
(One more note: as I got in the car and turned on the radio, the Christian band Bluetree was playing. The first words I heard were :
"Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city."
It was God's way of saying He was only getting started using me.)
On April 13, 2010, I was released from my job of 10 years.
I have chronicled on here the ensuing 9 months of unemployed life. There was a lot of growing both mentally and spiritually during that time. I can look back and say it was for my good. But I haven't spoken much about what happened two years ago.
This was because of an agreement I signed that day saying that I would hold my peace for two years. Well those two years are up. Today I can now speak about it.
I was the first employee hired when Family Christian Stores opened a location in Hickory, NC in 2000. The location of that store was ideal for that type of business, and it was an answer to prayer to get that job. I owe a lot of good things in my life to working at that store. I met a lot of people that are still my friends today. I met my wife because of that store. It was a literal dream come true to work there.
In time, things changed. The company changed leadership in 2002. In 2003, longtime rumors became true when the company announced it was opening on Sunday. They found a theologian to back them in saying it was okay Biblically, and announced it to us in June. They said essentially it was a "missed opportunity for ministry," and that the focus on Sundays would always be ministry. We would be open limited hours, so it would not greatly affect our employees church attendance, etc.
They never openly admitted it, but the company lost 1/4 of its employees because of that. One store on Georgia had to replace its entire staff.
Over time Sundays became another day to sell things and make goals. Our store even opened for an extra hour, meaning someone was missing church.
Let's just say the changes started to fray some friendships. From then until my departure, working there became a personal hell. I use that word intentionally.
From 2004-06, I was demeaned by a new manager that sought to get rid of me, knew nothing about Christian Retail, and would use language that would make "Stone Cold" Steve Austin blush. She was only hired because she had management experience. The Christian part didn't matter. She was eventually fired after transferring to another store for inappropriate behavior.
I would become very familiar with corporate buzzwords. "Opportunity" was another word for failure or mistake. "Suggested" items meant mandatory items. "Goal" meant sales quotas. "Accountability" meant micromanagement to the nth degree. It became quite an exacting corporate culture.
I know add-on sales are a part of every retail store's marketing scheme. It's why there's gum & candy at grocery checkouts. It's why they have pens at the checkout at Staples. For us, your checkout meant the start of our sales pitch. First, we had to pitch Member's Only titles- A selection of items (it originally started as 1 title a month) for $5 each. We had to sell these to 1 out of every 4 customers. Next came Pre-buys: advanced selling of new books, movies, or CDs. We had to have a percentage. Next we had to sign people up for our Credit Card. Dave Ramsey didn't care for that one. We eventually got rid of that, but replaced it with child sponsorships through a global relief organization.
(Now, this is a big commitment. Deciding to spend $30 (later $35) a month on a child in Ghana or wherever is not an impulse decision. It's not something you should be pushed or pressured into. But we had to.)
It got so bad that if you didn't make your goals for these things, you were written up. Three strikes, you were out. Fired from an atmosphere of "love." It didn't matter if you knew everything about the Bible, could recommend a book, or knew everything about Christian music. If you didn't meet your goals, you were out. I saw too many people leave this company in that way. All the while we would bring in questionable movies to sell, but they were okay, because they were "family" movies, and they taught a lesson, even if it wasn't Biblical.
But I didn't get fired for that. No- My position- - which started out as a full-time position, and needed a dedicated full-time person, became part-time. I worked a few hours in my position, then worked on the sales floor. I sacrificed, worked various hours, and did what was asked of me.
That Tuesday morning, I was presented with my walking papers. No negotiation, no time to talk it over. I was done. They decided that part-time people should do my job. Makes sense financially- they can pay them less than I made, even though I hadn't had a raise in four years, and they don't have to dish out full-time insurance. I signed an agreement not to mention any selling practices or discourage anyone from going to work for Family for two years.
Yes, I was afraid. But I was relieved. Oh, I was so relieved. God used that for me in so many ways. I got to be there for the majority of my daughter's first year of life. I got to spend a great amount of time with my son. I felt a major burden lift from me. And I guess I grew up a little.
I dealt with bitterness and with a distaste for Christian retail in general for a time after that. I had to learn to forgive the people that I thought wronged me. I went back in that store once after that to say hey to old friends. Almost everyone is gone now- either fired or quit voluntarily. I will not go back in there again, or to any other Family Christian Store. There are better alternatives, companies that are actually concerned with serving the customer, not just emptying their wallets.
(One more note: as I got in the car and turned on the radio, the Christian band Bluetree was playing. The first words I heard were :
"Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city."
It was God's way of saying He was only getting started using me.)
Friday, March 9, 2012
In Case You've Ever Doubted: Romans 8:28 IS TRUE
Here is that verse, presented in the King James Version:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
It pops up whenever someone goes through the slightest hard time, or whenever anyone is dealing with a difficulty. It's like the standby verse for Christians, our Pepto for the upset stomachs of life. We use it so much whenever someone deals with a difficulty it almost loses some of its meaning.
Allow me to present this real-life scenario to show you that the verse is absolutely true.
We have been dealing with constant sickness in this house. My children have had it, as well as my wife. My mother-in-law and father-in-law have been sick for most of the previous week. I came down with it hard and heavy on Monday of this week. For my father-in-law, it seemed he had turned the corner.
Actually, he had not.
I got a message at work (yep- I went to work that day, and I shouldn't have) that he has the stomach virus. Another one came saying he was violently ill and would probably have to go to the ER. Next message said he was taken by ambulance. He was admitted for observation and to give him fluids because of dehydration. Here they determined he actually had Norovirus. Also, they believed that he had suffered a mild heart attack in the midst of this and needed to go to a better hospital.
He was taken to that hospital Tuesday morning. A heart catheterization was performed Thursday which determined that one of his arteries was blocked 100 percent. Another was blocked 95 percent. He would need double bypass surgery the next day. Wait- another message- another artery is blocked 99 percent, he will need triple bypass surgery.
He has had no symptoms of heart trouble. There were no indicators that this was even a factor.
I'm proud to say today that the QUADRUPLE bypass surgery was successful. His recovery will be long, but considering the alternative, we'll take it. We'll also take your prayers as we face this as a family.
But think about it.
None if this would have been discovered without him contracting the norovirus. My family would have had a father, grandfather, or husband taken from them suddenly without otherwise knowing there was a problem.
All things do work together for good to them that love God.
Even some of the worst things.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
It pops up whenever someone goes through the slightest hard time, or whenever anyone is dealing with a difficulty. It's like the standby verse for Christians, our Pepto for the upset stomachs of life. We use it so much whenever someone deals with a difficulty it almost loses some of its meaning.
Allow me to present this real-life scenario to show you that the verse is absolutely true.
We have been dealing with constant sickness in this house. My children have had it, as well as my wife. My mother-in-law and father-in-law have been sick for most of the previous week. I came down with it hard and heavy on Monday of this week. For my father-in-law, it seemed he had turned the corner.
Actually, he had not.
I got a message at work (yep- I went to work that day, and I shouldn't have) that he has the stomach virus. Another one came saying he was violently ill and would probably have to go to the ER. Next message said he was taken by ambulance. He was admitted for observation and to give him fluids because of dehydration. Here they determined he actually had Norovirus. Also, they believed that he had suffered a mild heart attack in the midst of this and needed to go to a better hospital.
He was taken to that hospital Tuesday morning. A heart catheterization was performed Thursday which determined that one of his arteries was blocked 100 percent. Another was blocked 95 percent. He would need double bypass surgery the next day. Wait- another message- another artery is blocked 99 percent, he will need triple bypass surgery.
He has had no symptoms of heart trouble. There were no indicators that this was even a factor.
I'm proud to say today that the QUADRUPLE bypass surgery was successful. His recovery will be long, but considering the alternative, we'll take it. We'll also take your prayers as we face this as a family.
But think about it.
None if this would have been discovered without him contracting the norovirus. My family would have had a father, grandfather, or husband taken from them suddenly without otherwise knowing there was a problem.
All things do work together for good to them that love God.
Even some of the worst things.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Church Signs, part 2: A Season for Everything
I wanted to show you two more church signs that I have seen in recent months. Two signs that remind us of the joy of the Christmas season. That glorious time of the year, when the weather is cooler, etc.
Scene 1:
Feel free to come to this church if you are interested in adoption or adding to a family in rapid, rapid manner.
Scene 2:
This church is rapidly becoming the proverbial gift that keeps giving.
I know you're looking at this and saying "You know, there's nothing really wrong with this. It's cheesy, yes, but no typos, no grammar issues. Why is it here?"
IT WAS TAKEN TODAY- MARCH 1, 2012.
Maybe this church is taking to heart the sentiment of celebrating Christmas all year long. Or maybe this is the church where the people that leave their Christmas lights up all year long. Whatever the case, Merry Christmas, people. I forgot to take the picture for scene 3. Maybe we'll make that into another topic for another time.
Scene 1:
Scene 2:
I know you're looking at this and saying "You know, there's nothing really wrong with this. It's cheesy, yes, but no typos, no grammar issues. Why is it here?"
IT WAS TAKEN TODAY- MARCH 1, 2012.
Maybe this church is taking to heart the sentiment of celebrating Christmas all year long. Or maybe this is the church where the people that leave their Christmas lights up all year long. Whatever the case, Merry Christmas, people. I forgot to take the picture for scene 3. Maybe we'll make that into another topic for another time.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Deception is Like a Simile
This one will be quick. Yeah, I know, I've said that before.
Today while driving to work the new song by the Newsboys, "God's Not Dead." It's a worship song that's been out for a couple of years. Their version is, well, different. The chorus says "My God's not dead, He's surely alive/ He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion." (It repeats, so for those of you that don't care for worship music, I won't bother.)
While I was listening, this verse came to me: "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).
Weird, isn't it, that a worship song about God would make me think about the devil?
As I thought about it some more, the more I realized, there is one key word in that verse: LIKE. Like is a simile. From dictionary.com:
Simile (noun): A figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”
Think about it. Jesus is called the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David" (Rev. 5:5). Satan moves "like" a roaring lion. In other words, he's not the real thing. Jesus called him a liar, and the father of lies. He is a deceiver. That's where this simile "like" comes in.
Deception is one of the enemy's greatest tools. Like Shift the ape from "The Last Battle," last of the Chronicles of Narnia, he disguises himself in a similar manner to deceive Christian and non-Christian alike. (See that? Another simile!) He uses things that sound good, look good, Christian-like to pull people away from the true Gospel. He then devours his prey, catching them far away from what they wanted, far from the God that loves them.
Yes, he is a cunning enemy? What's the solution to stopping him? Keep reading 1 Peter 5:
"Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen (v. 9-11)."
The key is to root yourself in the Word, in prayer, in daily fellowship with God. Then you can resist the impostor, this faker, this false lion. The he will flee from you. In other words, you will send him running like a scared cat. (Another simile!)
There's no faking that.
Today while driving to work the new song by the Newsboys, "God's Not Dead." It's a worship song that's been out for a couple of years. Their version is, well, different. The chorus says "My God's not dead, He's surely alive/ He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion." (It repeats, so for those of you that don't care for worship music, I won't bother.)
While I was listening, this verse came to me: "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).
Weird, isn't it, that a worship song about God would make me think about the devil?
As I thought about it some more, the more I realized, there is one key word in that verse: LIKE. Like is a simile. From dictionary.com:
Simile (noun): A figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”
Think about it. Jesus is called the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David" (Rev. 5:5). Satan moves "like" a roaring lion. In other words, he's not the real thing. Jesus called him a liar, and the father of lies. He is a deceiver. That's where this simile "like" comes in.
Deception is one of the enemy's greatest tools. Like Shift the ape from "The Last Battle," last of the Chronicles of Narnia, he disguises himself in a similar manner to deceive Christian and non-Christian alike. (See that? Another simile!) He uses things that sound good, look good, Christian-like to pull people away from the true Gospel. He then devours his prey, catching them far away from what they wanted, far from the God that loves them.
Yes, he is a cunning enemy? What's the solution to stopping him? Keep reading 1 Peter 5:
"Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen (v. 9-11)."
The key is to root yourself in the Word, in prayer, in daily fellowship with God. Then you can resist the impostor, this faker, this false lion. The he will flee from you. In other words, you will send him running like a scared cat. (Another simile!)
There's no faking that.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Support a Good Good Cause Cause
Last year I chronicled the great experience I had going to "Loving Lenoir" and joining other Hibriten High School Band alumni at the homecoming game. It was my most viewed blog ever, and you can take a look back with me by clicking here.
At the end of that article I mentioned how the HHS Band now receives no funding, and depends primarily on charitable contributions and fundraising efforts. Here is one of those efforts, and it is delicious.
The band is raising funds to purchase a sousaphone. These are not inexpensive by any means. A refurbished sousaphone costs $4500. I can attest to the need because the instruments currently at the school are the same ones there when I was a student. They were old then, and I graduated seventeen years ago.
So how can you help?
Go to pizzakit.com. The Hibriten Band is selling Little Caesars Pizza Kits (say it with me- Pizza Pizza). Unlike the fundraisers of my day, you can purchase online! How amazing!
Once on the site, go to "Order Online." You can choose pizza kits, cookie dough (yum), and/or pie kits. Once you add an item to your cart, it will ask you to create an account. After doing that, you can continue to checkout, or continue shopping (strongly encouraged). In the checkout screen, it will ask you for a fundraiser ID. Enter 240322 to support the Hibriten Band. After checking out, sit back and wait for your pizza to arrive, bake, and enjoy! Even more than enjoying the food, you get the enjoyment that you are supporting a most worthy cause.
Also- wouldn't it be nice to put this over the top? To give them more than the needed funds to apply to other things?
Don't wait- the fundraiser ends March 2. Pizza Pizza!
At the end of that article I mentioned how the HHS Band now receives no funding, and depends primarily on charitable contributions and fundraising efforts. Here is one of those efforts, and it is delicious.
The band is raising funds to purchase a sousaphone. These are not inexpensive by any means. A refurbished sousaphone costs $4500. I can attest to the need because the instruments currently at the school are the same ones there when I was a student. They were old then, and I graduated seventeen years ago.
So how can you help?
Go to pizzakit.com. The Hibriten Band is selling Little Caesars Pizza Kits (say it with me- Pizza Pizza). Unlike the fundraisers of my day, you can purchase online! How amazing!
Once on the site, go to "Order Online." You can choose pizza kits, cookie dough (yum), and/or pie kits. Once you add an item to your cart, it will ask you to create an account. After doing that, you can continue to checkout, or continue shopping (strongly encouraged). In the checkout screen, it will ask you for a fundraiser ID. Enter 240322 to support the Hibriten Band. After checking out, sit back and wait for your pizza to arrive, bake, and enjoy! Even more than enjoying the food, you get the enjoyment that you are supporting a most worthy cause.
Also- wouldn't it be nice to put this over the top? To give them more than the needed funds to apply to other things?
Don't wait- the fundraiser ends March 2. Pizza Pizza!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Hollywood Cannot Be Found on Your GPS
I know, that's not true. But it does get your attention.
In reality, the adverse is true. Hollywood cannot find you on its GPS, and that is the truly sad part.
(CAUTION: POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERTS INCLUDED.)
I went to the movies for the first time in a few months on Friday night. My wife and I saw "The Vow," starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. "The Vow" is "inspired by actual events," and says that right at the beginning of the film. To not give too much of it away, here is the part consistent with the actual story. A young couple meet, fall in love, and get married. One day they have an accident, giving her an injury that causes her to lose every memory she has with him.
That's about it as far as the "inspired by actual events" part.
I have not read the story, but my wife has. She relays the story to me quite well. The actual couple, Kim and Krickett Carpenter, had been married ten weeks when the accident happened. It's true, she had no memory of who he was. But she knew this: she made a vow, and intended to keep it. The couple had to learn to fall in love with each other all over again.
It makes a good story. It would have made a good film. But Hollywood had other plans.
Now Channing Tatum plays a great character in Leo. I wanted him to succeed in winning his wife back. I could see the undying "fierce" love he had for his wife, and wanted to see him rewarded for it. I also wanted to see the Christian elements of the true story played out. Instead, we got a couple of profane words slipped in, Channing's naked backside (any ladies that read my blog just put their computer down and ran to the nearest theater), and a divorce that never happened in real life. We also got an ending that left it up to the imagination of the viewer. After watching the series finale of "Chuck" a couple of weeks previously, I had to deal with this same dissatisfaction AGAIN, and I was not thrilled with that.
This movie had great potential. There could have been the chance to show the world the powerful force that love is, the power of the wedding vow, and how wonderful the commitment to marriage no matter what is. It could have been much better than what it turned out to be.
But Hollywood missed the mark. It tends to do that.
Right now I'm looking at the Pay-Per-View Choices on TV: "Harold & Kumar Christmas: 'The stoner pals search New York City for the perfect Christmas Tree.'" "Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1," "Paranormal Activity 3,""What's Your Number? 'A woman wonders if one of her past 20 boyfriends could be her true love.'" Coming soon to theaters: "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."
Coming out this weekend: "Star Wars Episode I" in 3-D. Previously released? "Beauty & the Beast" in 3-D. Coming soon? "Titanic" in 3-D. There is a new Spider-Man relaunch coming this year, a new Batman movie (no lying- I am excited about that, but anyway) a 21 Jump Street movie, a Three Stooges movie, etc.
What am I saying? Hollywood has no good new ideas. The best-selling things they have are re-releases of old movies, or new versions of old ideas.
When they do get good ideas for a good movie, they have to ruin it. On top of that, you have to give up a week's paycheck to go see the blasted things!
In other words, they are out of touch with you. The funniest part of that is, they don't think they are. They think you're out of touch with them. If you don't believe that, tune into the Academy Awards in a couple of weeks. But when you do, don't forget to have a barf bag close by.
In reality, the adverse is true. Hollywood cannot find you on its GPS, and that is the truly sad part.
(CAUTION: POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERTS INCLUDED.)
I went to the movies for the first time in a few months on Friday night. My wife and I saw "The Vow," starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. "The Vow" is "inspired by actual events," and says that right at the beginning of the film. To not give too much of it away, here is the part consistent with the actual story. A young couple meet, fall in love, and get married. One day they have an accident, giving her an injury that causes her to lose every memory she has with him.
That's about it as far as the "inspired by actual events" part.
I have not read the story, but my wife has. She relays the story to me quite well. The actual couple, Kim and Krickett Carpenter, had been married ten weeks when the accident happened. It's true, she had no memory of who he was. But she knew this: she made a vow, and intended to keep it. The couple had to learn to fall in love with each other all over again.
It makes a good story. It would have made a good film. But Hollywood had other plans.
Now Channing Tatum plays a great character in Leo. I wanted him to succeed in winning his wife back. I could see the undying "fierce" love he had for his wife, and wanted to see him rewarded for it. I also wanted to see the Christian elements of the true story played out. Instead, we got a couple of profane words slipped in, Channing's naked backside (any ladies that read my blog just put their computer down and ran to the nearest theater), and a divorce that never happened in real life. We also got an ending that left it up to the imagination of the viewer. After watching the series finale of "Chuck" a couple of weeks previously, I had to deal with this same dissatisfaction AGAIN, and I was not thrilled with that.
This movie had great potential. There could have been the chance to show the world the powerful force that love is, the power of the wedding vow, and how wonderful the commitment to marriage no matter what is. It could have been much better than what it turned out to be.
But Hollywood missed the mark. It tends to do that.
Right now I'm looking at the Pay-Per-View Choices on TV: "Harold & Kumar Christmas: 'The stoner pals search New York City for the perfect Christmas Tree.'" "Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1," "Paranormal Activity 3,""What's Your Number? 'A woman wonders if one of her past 20 boyfriends could be her true love.'" Coming soon to theaters: "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."
Coming out this weekend: "Star Wars Episode I" in 3-D. Previously released? "Beauty & the Beast" in 3-D. Coming soon? "Titanic" in 3-D. There is a new Spider-Man relaunch coming this year, a new Batman movie (no lying- I am excited about that, but anyway) a 21 Jump Street movie, a Three Stooges movie, etc.
What am I saying? Hollywood has no good new ideas. The best-selling things they have are re-releases of old movies, or new versions of old ideas.
When they do get good ideas for a good movie, they have to ruin it. On top of that, you have to give up a week's paycheck to go see the blasted things!
In other words, they are out of touch with you. The funniest part of that is, they don't think they are. They think you're out of touch with them. If you don't believe that, tune into the Academy Awards in a couple of weeks. But when you do, don't forget to have a barf bag close by.
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